Chronicles of the Lost Years (The Sherlock Holmes Series) by Tracy Cooper-Posey Page B

notorious trading place. There were money merchants there that would buy and sell anything without question and their prices were often higher than those which Holmes could have raised through legitimate dealers, who were subject to taxes, bribes and legal overheads. By this time they both knew they would be moving further east. The only questions that remained to be answered were when and in what direction. Successfully negotiating in Al-Sahib square would be good practice for their future financing methods.
    Holmes did take some precautions.
    It was vital Elizabeth accompany him, for a lone Arab was an easy target. Women were unwelcome there so she must go disguised as a man. The Arab burnoose they had been using, with its shrouding folds about the face, was the solution. Holmes was quietly confident that Elizabeth could handle any trouble that may arise and he could foresee none, for he was confident of his own grasp of Arabic and he had been born a good bargainer.
    They entered the square in the hour before the second prayers, about nine o’clock. It was a hot, dusty morning with a stiff breeze which gave them a good excuse for muffling their features. Their only distinguishing feature was Holmes’ height, which made him unusually tall for an Arab.
    As they had agreed, they circled the square once whilst Holmes established which agent would be the best to approach. Elizabeth’s vivid description of the square will stay with me forever:
    “It was crowded, as all the city is crowded, but there was not a Turk or European in sight. Everywhere you looked you saw only anonymously veiled Arabs. The square is quite small and they crowded in there until there was barely enough room to breathe.
    “It smelt…unwashed bodies, untended animals, hot savory food and the heat of late summer. The noise was an assault on the ears. Everyone spoke loudly and then there was the call of several minarets quite close by and that strange undulating music that the Arabs love to hear, played as loudly as possible. The merchants were all around the edge of the square and in a large circle in the middle, squatting on their mats, advertising their services at the top of their voices. All the animals were crying, bleating and calling and to be heard, one had to shout. With everyone shouting to be heard, you had to shout louder and the noise level spiraled upwards.
    “A lot of the people seemed to just be there for the atmosphere. They didn’t appear to have pressing business but they watched everyone else with dark suspicious eyes. Those that were there on business were prepared to bargain hard and knew that the merchants would cheat them at the first opportunity, so they were tense, too.
    “The menace was unmistakable. From the moment we entered I found myself holding the hilt of my knife inside my sleeve.”
    It was indeed a chancy place. Money turns the heads of most of the human race and all those in the square with business to transact were already risking much, or they would have gone to lawful dealers elsewhere. So tempers were strained and Arabs are a fiery lot to begin with. Elizabeth was alert to even the smallest hint of trouble and she found herself falling back to keep Holmes’ tall figure in sight in front of her.
    Abruptly, a loud fight broke out on their right. The crowd surged in that direction and they were dragged along with the tide. Elizabeth tried to keep her eyes on Holmes, searching out the tall figure. She sighted him again just as three dirty Arabs closed in on him. Somehow he had been marked. Possibly his height or his way of walking. She felt fear chill her bones as a long wicked knife rose and began to fall.

• Chapter Six • _________________________
     
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    FEAR TRIGGERED ELIZABETH into action that only later she was able to reconstruct clearly. Her knife was out and she threw herself on the back of the nearest of the three assailants. With one hand she sought the Arab’s chin and gripped